America Needs More Educated Voters

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” – Sir Winston Churchill

Yes, I know, the United States is a constitutional republic, not a democracy… and it’s a good thing it is. Credit the brilliance and foresight of our Founding Fathers for that one. Otherwise, we would be ruled by a largely uninformed majority who, for its own benefit, could strip or suppress the rights of a powerless minority.

And so, James Madison and Company established a government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Each branch acts as a counterbalance to the other two, ensuring that no one person or entity becomes so dominant as to risk despotism.

In layman’s terms, the legislative branch – otherwise known as Congress – enacts laws that the executive branch signs off on and then enforces. The role of the judiciary is to keep the other two branches in check and on their toes, ensuring that they don’t act outside of their constitutional purview.

However, as wise and well-oiled as this governmental format is, there remains a wild card that can throw the entire mechanism into chaos… and that is the ignorance of the electorate. In order for the three branches of our federal government to fire on all cylinders, the electorate who votes for the Chief Executive (who, in turn, nominates justices) and the members of Congress (who, in turn, confirm judicial appointments) must be educated and engaged.

Therein lies the rub…

If today’s voters were doing their job, we wouldn’t have an 81-year-old president whose cognitive skills are diminishing by the hour. We also wouldn’t have America and Israel-hating representatives spewing their vile rhetoric in the halls of Congress.

The fact remains that America was founded on solid Judeo-Christian principles, and we depart from them at our own peril. Likewise, when we take suffrage too lightly, we risk going adrift as a nation.

For instance, the qualifications to vote in a federal election are two-fold. You must be a citizen (native born or naturalized) and at least 18-years old. That’s it! There are also some limitations for convicted felons, the mentally-handicapped, and citizens living in U.S. territories, but not states. Other than that, Election Day is a virtual free-for-all.

I think that’s wrong… and apparently, so did Winston Churchill. That is why I support a national civics test as a prerequisite for voting. Let me explain…

In my opinion, if you cannot name the current President and Vice President of the United States, you shouldn’t be permitted to vote for either office. In the same manner, if you don’t know how many states there are or how many branches are in the federal government, you should be sent home to start studying for the next election because you shouldn’t be allowed to vote in this one.

Other questions on the national civics test might include the following:

What two countries fought in the Revolutionary War (France doesn’t count)? Who was known as the Father of our Country? Who wrote the Declaration of Independence and in what year?

Who was President of the United States during the Civil War – hint: he wrote the Gettysburg Address – and what was the main cause of the conflict (yes, I know, Nikki Haley would flunk that second question)?

What country attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and who was our president at the time? What other country did we fight against in World War II (Italy doesn’t count)? What was D-Day?

Within 10 years, when did America land a man on the moon? Who was the only U.S. president to resign in office? The Cold War pitted the U.S. against what other country?

Who invented the light bulb, the steamboat, the cotton gin, and the telegraph? Hint: they aren’t the same person. What brothers were the first to design and fly an airplane… and what car manufacturer first implemented the assembly line?

Name the main leader of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. What was the Abolitionist Movement and who were Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, and George Washington Carver?

Recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Name (but don’t sing) our National Anthem.

What is the Bill of Rights and what freedoms are protected by the First and Second Amendments?

Get 50% of the questions right and you get to cast a ballot. Flunk and you get to try again in two years.

You get the idea, right? I want an informed and educated electorate who knows something about American history and what makes this country so great and so exceptional. By educated, I don’t mean that a high school diploma or a college degree is required. On the contrary, some of the most academically accomplished Americans cast the most unintelligent votes. What I am looking for is people who love this country – warts and all – and know something about its heritage.

How can you cast a ballot that determines America’s future when you have no concept of our past? Where we have been largely determines where we are going… or at least it should.

And by the way, except for areas where Spanish-speaking citizens are in the majority, all ballots should be printed in one language and one language only: English.

More on that tomorrow…